


Must Love Dogs - A Chris Evans One Shot

by captainofherheart



Category: Chris Evans - Fandom
Genre: Bungalow, Captain America - Freeform, ChickLit, Dodger - Freeform, F/M, Yoshi - Freeform, chris evans dog, chris evans dog dodger, chris evans fanfic - Freeform, chris evans romance, dog sitting, japanese chin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:51:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainofherheart/pseuds/captainofherheart
Summary: Chris Evans and Dodger find new friendship and love in the form of their new dog sitter





	Must Love Dogs - A Chris Evans One Shot

Chris Evans was in a pickle. He was scheduled to fly out of town Saturday afternoon for two days of press and photo shoots for his upcoming movie release.  It was already late on Thursday morning when he realized he hadn’t squared things away for Dodger, but he wasn’t worried.  Until he spoke with his normal dog sitter, that is.  He had been using the same woman, a referral he got from a friend, since bringing his beloved buddy home.  She had a family, and they would all take care of him, letting him stay at their house whenever Chris had to go away. Except this time.

Assuming they would be available, (you know what they say about people who assume), he had let it slip his mind to make arrangements until today.  Turns out they were leaving for a family vacation Saturday morning, and would be gone for a week.

“Fuck!”

Immediately, his mind started to race, trying to figure out what to do.  She asked if he had any friends that could help him out.  Thinking through his options, he realized the answer was no. There was no one he could leave his dog with for 2-3 days, and he really didn’t want to leave him alone in the house with someone just stopping by to feed him, and let him out.  Boarding him with a bunch of other dogs in a cage was not even an option. After all, he was rescued from a shelter.  What if he remembered and got anxiety from being back in that environment? Shit, what was he going to do?  

Hearing Chris’ voice becoming agitated, his sitter told him she had an idea, and to give her a few minutes to check on another option.  True to her word, she was back on the phone with him no more than 15 minutes later, with a name and number of a friend who could help.  Her friend, Kristi, had dog sat for her and several others many times over the years, and had agreed to help Chris, as long as their dogs got along.  

Chris called Kristi, and they arranged to meet at a local dog park, wanting their pets to meet on neutral ground and feel each other out. If all went well, a home visit would take place right after.  

He decided to arrive at the park a little earlier than the 3 pm meet time that they had arranged.  He wanted Dodger to get some energy out before meeting the new dog, and wanted time to settle his nerves as well.  He loved his little furbuddy fiercely and was kicking himself for not having taken care of things sooner.  What if the dogs didn’t get along and he was back to square one?  He would only have tomorrow to find someone else.  His mind was racing even though he appeared calm on the outside to anyone looking.  He had just thrown the ball for Dodger to chase, when he heard a woman clearing her throat behind him and then softly ask, “Are you Chris?”

He turned around and smiled. Adorable, the dog was absolutely adorable!  And wouldn’t you know it, the owner was pretty cute, too.  Dodger was just coming back, wet ball in mouth, when she introduced herself.  

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kristi. Pamela’s friend. This is Yoshi.”  

He took the ball from Dodger, patting the dog on the head before reaching out his hand.  Awkwardly realizing it was now covered in drool from the ball, he wiped it on his sweatpants quickly, apologizing to her.  She laughed, her smile taking over her face as she took his hand and shook it anyway.  She then crouched down and shook Dodger’s paw when he offered it to her.  “It’s very nice to meet you too Dodger.”

The dogs looked at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.  Yoshi was much smaller, but went over to Dodger and gave the first sniff.  The dogs checked each other out, tails high in the air while their humans looked on, awaiting a verdict. They didn’t have too wait long.  Yoshi assumed his play position, with his fluffy tail high in the air, back bowed down low as he flattened his front legs, and then he yipped, tongue flopping out of his mouth.  Dodger gave a quick leap and they were off, chasing each other and prancing around.

“Yeah, I think they’ll do just fine.” Chris said, laughing at the spectacle, hand on his left pec as he threw back his head in laughter.  “What the hell type of dog is that anyway?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it.”

“He’s a Japanese Chin.  They aren’t all that common. I’d honestly never heard of the breed before rescuing this little furball.”

Eyeing the dog for a moment, Chris snapped his finger, pointing at the dog quickly.  “That’s it! That’s what he reminds me of.  He kinda looks like Gizmo from those Gremlins movies!”

Kristi laughed, knowing he was completely accurate in his guess.  “I rescued him as a puppy, he was found as part of a raid on a puppy mill. He was the tiniest little black and white fluffball with these big round eyes and smushed face.  I used to call him my little Mogwai. Such a sweet temperament too. He loves nothing more than snuggles.”

The dogs came back to their owners, eagerly jumping on them and playing.  They each got their rubbings, Chris even picking up the little 9 pound Chin to hold him.  Yoshi immediately set to using his long tongue all over Chris’ face, must to his delight.

“Oh my freakin’ Gahd, he’s so soft and fluffy!  How have I not seen these everywhere?”  

Dodger got his ears and sides scratched by Kristi, who wanted to make sure he would not be jealous, and also wanted him to get used to her and her scent.  He put his head on her knees when she crouched down to his level, and swiped his tongue right up her face.  Chris laughed his ass off watching her reaction.  The tongue was quite a bit larger than the one she was used to getting kisses from, and she had to wipe her face, while making a show of it for Chris’s benefit. His laughter was amazing.  

They stayed at the park for close to an hour, the dogs running around while the humans got to know each other better.  They swapped their backstories, along with those of the rescue dogs.

“They seem to get along alright, would you mind if we went back to your house to see how he reacts?” Chris asked, hoping she was on the same page.

“That would be fine with me.  Yoshi’s happy and I’m happy.  Dodger is soooo cute!  Aren’t ya boy?  Yes you are!”  she cooed over him, running his fluffy tail through her hands.  She gave Chris the address and he followed her back to her 1940’s era bungalow, about 25 minutes away from his home in the Hollywood Hills.  

The bungalow was tiny, but it was comfortable, and it was all hers.  The exterior was painted a soft yellow with white shutters.  The front yard was small, but decorated throughout with wild flowers, metal signs, and an antique galvanized milk jug.  Some of the flower beds came out of old wheelbarrows turned sideways.  There was a good sized fenced-in backyard for the dogs to run around.  The inside of the house was soft colored and neat.  Not too much clutter, since every inch counts when you own something this small.  It was just two bedrooms and one bathroom, and the living room and kitchen were set with an open floor plan. Chris commented on how much he loved the farmhouse sink and old fashioned fixtures. There were lots of windows along one wall for light to come streaming in.  It was warm, inviting, and cozy inside.  

Upon entering the home, Dodger made a beeline through the living room and jumped onto the couch.  Chris was just starting to yell at him about manners, when Yoshi jumped onto the couch as well, snuggling himself onto the larger dogs back and laying down.  Kristi quickly touched Chris’ arm and said, “It’s okay, I don’t mind them on that couch.  It’s where my baby usually lays, but he seems more than content to share his spot.  Come on, I’ll give you the five cent grand tour.  Would you like a drink first?”

Chris chuckled, an easy smile spreading across his face as he looked at the dogs cuddled up again.  He instantly relaxed, feeling completely comfortable with Kristi taking care of his precious pup.

“I’d love the tour, and a water if you have it.”  She fetched a couple of bottles from the fridge and showed him where his dog would be staying from Saturday through Monday night, or Tuesday depending on the flights.

“There’s not much more to see than what you already have. This is my bedroom over here, and this is my home office.  I do medical billing and work from home, so I’ll be with the dogs most of the time.  Yoshi likes to come lay down in here with me, and Dodger’s welcome to join him.”

Looking around, Chris noticed the bookshelf and walked over to it, making himself at home, much to Kristi’s amusement. If you had told her last night that Chris Evans was going to be walking around her house with his dog in tow, she would have called you a dirty liar.  Now here she was with the Hollywood heartthrob, but she wasn’t as star struck as she expected herself to be.  Not at all actually, he really was just a regular guy who really, really loved his dog. She could think of worse traits.

“Stephen King, John Irving, Diana Gabaldon, J.K Rowling, Louise Hay,” he read off, looking over her collection of hard covers. He picked up the random quirky picture frames she had scattered on them, a soft chuckle emitting when he saw some of the goofy little photos. Picking up something else that lined the shelves he gave it a shake.  “You collect snow globes?”

“I do! I have them from all over the place.  Been collecting them since I was a teenager.”

Picking up a different one and giving it a shake, Chris watched the tiny glittery flakes float down over the New York City skyline that he would be soon be seeing from a plane. “I will say, it’s quite relaxing to watch.  Maybe I’ll pick one up for myself.”

Chris stayed for a few hours, the two new friends drinking coffee and getting to know each other while giving their four legged furry sons time to bond. They discussed their expectations and made arrangements for timing and payment.  

“Thank you again, so much, for agreeing to do this for me.  You have no idea how bad I was stressing.”  Chris admitted.

“It’s no problem, really. I used to be the go-to girl for a lot of my friends when I had an apartment.  It was easier back then to just go stay at someone’s place to watch their dog or cats. Now that I have my own house and dog, I can’t do it much anymore. The dogs getting along so well works out great.  Mi casa es Dodger’s casa.”

Kristi walked them out to the car, shaking hands and then getting a hug from Chris.  Dodger stuck his face out the window that Chris lowered on the passenger side.  She took his snout in her hand, holding it before planting a quick kiss saying, “See you Saturday handsome.”  Picking up Yoshi, they both waved goodbye to the boys.

Saturday morning had Chris arriving with Dodger’s supplies, and dropping off his best buddy.  Once again, the dog made himself right at home, with Yoshi happily showing him the lay of the land, just in case he forgot from his first visit. Kristi couldn’t get enough of watching their fluffy tails wagging around together, snapping a photo and texting it to Chris. She kept him updated throughout the weekend so he wouldn’t worry.  And truly there was nothing TO worry about, as Dodger fit right in.  

When Chris arrived to pick him up on Tuesday morning,  Dodger was so excited and almost knocked him over at the door. He couldn’t thank Kristi enough, but he tried. He handed her a small gift bag which contained a snow globe of the Statue of Liberty perched on Ellis Island. It was the first of many snowglobes he would bring her during the next year.  

She took over as primary dog sitter to Dodger, sometimes for weeks at a clip because of the shooting schedule for the Avenger’s movies, which were shooting back to back.  When Chris would have a lighter shooting schedule and could give the dog the time he required, he would fly Dodger to Atlanta to be with him.  Usually the shooting schedule was so packed that the dog would be sitting alone for most of the day.  This is when he would just live with Kristi.  The three of them would go to the park together, and take long walks. Every evening she would send Chris a photo and a cute caption or blurb about how his “son” did that day.  Her favorite photos to send were the ones when she would snap Yoshi catching a ride on Dodger’s back.  These two were completely adorable together.  

When he was home, Chris noticed that Dodger seemed to know the way to Kristi’s house. If they would be out driving and passed her exit the dog would whine and snuffle, clearly disturbed that they weren’t going to see his little friend.  “Yeah buddy, I know the feeling. I like her too,”  he said, giving the dog a little scratch behind the ears.  

The four of them began spending time together on a regular basis as time went on. Mostly at one of their houses, as they would alternate pickups and drop offs.  It became a regular thing to just sit on the patio, drinking beers and having conversations for hours sometimes. They would send text messages frequently even when he wasn’t away.

Chris arrived to pick up Dodger one afternoon, kneeling down as soon as he entered the house.  Kristi stepped back, allowing both dogs to pounce on Chris and give him kisses.  He was rubbing Dodger’s side, when she heard him say, “There’s my buddy, have you been a good boy for Mommy?”  He caught it as soon as the word left his mouth, looking up quickly to see if she had heard it.  Kristi was watching him, hand over her mouth, eye’s wide, definitely having heard the slip.  

“Good for Mommy?” she asked, cautiously.

Chris stood up slowly, never taking his eyes off of hers. “Yeah, I guess, I mean, he’s been here so often.  I didn’t realize it until just now, but I guess I kinda think of us as a little family.”  he said, blushing and beginning a shy smile.

Kristi was speechless.  Upon first meeting him she knew she had a crush.  He was hot as hell, obviously.  But she had also gotten to truly know him over time and had grown feelings for Chris.  She tried her best to hide it, not wanting to do anything to interfere with their arrangement.  She was content to be his friend if that was all he felt towards her.  They had spent many hours talking and had become quite close. Flirting was just part of their routine. But she always assumed she was friend zoned.    

Chris was watching her intently.  Seeing the warmth coming from her eyes and her smile he knew she felt the same way about him that he had been feeling for months now.

“Well, if we’re going to be a family, may as well make this official.  Kristi Lawrence, would you go to dinner with me tonight?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” she replied, before being swept up into a hug and literally swept off her feet.  He set her back down, eyes locked on each other as they shared a brief but perfect first kiss.  Their fur babies watched, sitting next to each other on the floor, tails thumping as they shared in their owner’s happiness.


End file.
